Canada bid director says World Cup pitch for 2026 focuses on real grass
TORONTO — Unlike the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada, a North America men’s World Cup in 2026 would be played on natural grass.
“I believe moving forward that the inclination will be towards natural grass for the competition,” said Peter Montopoli, Canada bid director and general secretary of the Canadian Soccer Association. “But we’re waiting for after the bid is awarded to enter into those discussions with FIFA.”
The 2015 women’s world showcase was played on artificial turf, despite a human rights complaint by a group of top female players arguing discrimination since men would never play their World Cup on artificial turf.
Toronto’s BMO Field is the only one of the three Canadian 2026 candidate cities that currently has a grass playing surface. Montreal’s Olympic Stadium and Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium — both of which hosted women’s tournament games in 2015 — have artificial turf.